CNN doubles down on Trump hate despite ratings nosedive

The pioneer cable news network is getting crushed in the ratings, coming in below Home and Garden TV, and has recently downsized and changed freelance payment terms - but shows no interest in changing the tone of its programming. Both CNN and MSNBC have allowed themselves to be defined by hostility to both the administration and President Donald Trump personally since the 2016 election, breathlessly pushing the 'Russiagate' conspiracy theory. While this strategy has largely worked for MSNBC - at least until special counsel Robert Mueller was forced to admit Russiagate was bogus - CNN has struggled to attract an audience beyond those trapped at hospitals and airports.